Marta Kostyuk says Ukraine is grateful to Wimbledon and England for its support in the war with Russia and has expressed her relief the third major of the year has not been hit by boycotts.
The All England Club’s decision in April to ban Russian and Belarussian players from competing at the Championships sparked criticism in some quarters and eventually saw the ATP and WTA strip ranking points from the tournament.
Naomi Osaka was one high-profile figure who suggested she could skip Wimbledon and while she is absent due to injury, the world’s best will be at SW19 despite initial fears it could become akin to an exhibition event.
Kostyuk told the PA news agency: “All the Ukrainian players are standing with Wimbledon for their decision and I don’t honestly think just Ukrainian players.